HAPALEMUR GRISEUS 
THE GENTLE LEMURS 
English vernacular names are not as a rule particu- 
larly full of accurate meaning, for in many cases they 
are mere translations of a scientific name of Greek 
origin which may have a dim applicability in that 
tongue to some one, and that not always a striking, 
peculiarity of the animal so named, but which are apt 
to lose that faint significance when translated. The 
lemurs which form the subject of the present article 
are known to zoologists as Hapalemuy, and there are 
two species, viz. H. simus and H. griseus, both of which 
are confined to Madagascar. This “simple lemur ’’ is 
not, however, to be altogether trusted to keep up its 
alleged gentleness of disposition. It is furnished, as 
are other lemurs, with a row of closely set projecting 
_serrated and sharp teeth in the front of the lower jaw, 
a marked lemurian characteristic, which could give a 
respectable nip to any one entrusting an enquiring fore- 
finger toit. This little grey-coloured animal is nearly 
always represented at the Zoo ; at any rate, it is almost 
certain that the commoner species, H. griseus, will be 
found in one of the side cages of the monkey house. 
Not so frequently, however, the larger broad-nosed 
form. This, like other lemurs, has acquired its general 
name of lemur from its quiet and nocturnal, and, there- 
fore, somewhat ghostly, habits. Not that it is alto- 
gether silent ; indeed, H. simus is said by Mr. Shaw to 
possess at least two modes of utterance which may 
correspond to diverse feelings. It may quack like a 
duck or scream. It is vegetarian and insectivorous, 
and a constant if not a greedy feeder. The lemurs in 
general form a race which has its present headquarters 
in Madagascar, though a few forms are found in Africa 
and even in the East. But in the past epochs of the 
world’s history lemurs were European and American 
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